We would like to do some planting on our mother's grave. The cemetery is beyond the edge of the village and there are many rabbits, which eat everything that has been put in so far. Can you recommend low-growing, low-maintenance plants that might survive?No plants are entirely rabbit-proof. Rabbits will give everything a nibble, then really go for the plants they like the taste of best. So plant those they're not so keen on and hope they don't get too hungry. As a guide, they don't like plants that are highly aromatic or have milky sap. Perennials to try include the grey, felty foliage plant Stachys byzantina (also known as rabbits' ears, but it's the texture rather than the implied scalping that puts the furry ones off), hellebores, lavender, geraniums, brunnera, euphorbias, ferns and hostas.

I have three small Coffea arabica plants: one in a south-facing bathroom, one by a north-facing window and one on my desk at work. The leaves are starting to droop a bit as the temperature drops. How do I keep them alive during the coming cold months?These are handsome, glossy-leaved lovelies and I can see why you are growing them. However, they do not make easy house plants, especially in winter, and it is likely they will be looking a little sorry for themselves come spring. The problem, as you suggest, is temperature. They like it warm – a minimum of 21C in the day and 15C at night – so keep them in your warmest, sunniest spot. You will get some yellowing of lower leaves and some drooping, but they should recover in spring if you can get them through. The usual winter house-plant watering advice applies: cut down dramatically on the amount you give in summer, keeping them just moist. Coffee plants enjoy a humid atmosphere, so your bathroom – if big enough for all three – is looking like a prime spot.